SAN ANTONIO — All 54 suspected smuggled aliens were rescued Tuesday night after being discovered inside a tractor trailer; one of those rescued remains hospitalized.
At about 8:30 p.m. (CDT), special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) responded to a call from a law enforcement agency requesting assistance on a possible human smuggling venture. HSI special agents responded to a location in San Antonio near highway 410 and Broadway. At the location, HSI discovered 54 suspected smuggled illegal aliens inside a tractor trailer. They included men, women and minors from the four countries of Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.
Medical assistance was provided to everyone on scene, including five who were transported to local hospitals. Of the five, four were treated and released; one remains in the hospital.
In addition to the 54 illegal aliens, HSI special agents also criminally arrested the suspected human smuggler, who is a U.S. citizen; he is expected to be federally charged with human smuggling.
“The people rescued from this tractor-trailer were very lucky to have been discovered before the Texas heat took its toll,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane M. Folden, HSI San Antonio. “We have recently seen how smuggled people have died under the dangerous circumstances human smugglers transport their human cargo. These horrific instances show how no one should trust their lives — or the lives of their loved ones — to these criminal organizations.”
